When we install an instant loan app, our plan is to borrow money, and then pay back after the agreed time. Depending on the loan app, the repayment tenure could be in 6-7 days (for most loan sharks) or as long as 6 months or a year. But sometimes, some loan apps, particularly the predatory ones, have another plan you won’t like. On the 5th day, which is like a day or two to the due date, they start messaging and calling people on your contact list, telling them that you are a debtor who has refused to pay back your loan. They sometimes even call you a fraudster.
This can be really embarrassing and frustrating, especially if it’s not yet time to pay back the money. What some of us do not know is that loan apps ask for permission to access your phone and contact lists. Once you grant this access, they automatically have a list of all the phone numbers and names on your device.
Fortunately, you can block them from accessing your contacts. There is a solution to this embarrassment, and We will help you with a new way to block the menace of loan sharks accessing your contacts and calling your family and friends to tarnish your reputation.
New Way to Block Any Loan App from Accessing Your Contacts
You can do this on both Android and iOS (iPhone) devices.
1. Don’t grant a loan app access to your contact
When you install a quick loan app, try not to give it access to your contact and SMS. Unfortunately, most loan apps won’t allow you to proceed without this permission. That’s okay. Give it access just so you can obtain the loan. But immediately after the loan, you have to take back this permission.
Most loan apps only refer to your contact list and SMS when they believe you have defaulted on your loan, even though it may not yet be your due date.
Since you may have already granted the app access to your contact, it might already be too late as some of them store a copy of the numbers. But what you can do is withdraw the consent by blocking access to your contact list for this specific app.
Android
For Android, do this:
- Open your Settings app
- Find and click Apps
- Look for the particular loan app and click on it
- Select Permissions
- Deny access for contacts, phone, and SMS (messages)
iOS (iPhone)
For iPhone, do this:
- Go to Settings
- Click Privacy
- Select Contacts
- Find the loan app and toggle off access to contacts
Do the same for SMS and phone.
Once you revoke this permission, some loan apps won’t allow you to do anything with the app until you grant access again. It really depends on the design of the app. That’s okay—keep things this way until it’s time to repay the loan. The loan app won’t be able to call the numbers on your app as they won’t have access to them.
2. Install the app on a secondary device without phone numbers
Method 1 isn’t foolproof. Now, for something much more foolproof, install the loan app on a device without phone numbers or SMS. That is, it should be a phone where you have not stored anybody’s phone number. The loan app won’t have a list of phone numbers to contact if they have any plan of defaming your person.
Usually, the best phone is one without any pictures or whatsoever. It should be an empty device, preferably one that has been factory reset. Installing a loan app on a new device is the best way to block the lender from accessing your contacts. So, when it’s the due date, you repay the loan without fear of your friends and family being contacted without your consent.
3. Uninstall the App
If you don’t feel too comfortable or don’t trust the app, just uninstall it from your device. Install it back when it’s time to pay back and notify the lender that you have made your payment. This method is similar to the first, except that this time, you don’t keep the loan app on your device.
Is it Even Legal for Loan Apps to Collect Phone Numbers on Your Phone?
No, it isn’t legal. Google’s policy prohibits loan apps from accessing your contacts. The FCCPC (Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) is also against loan apps accessing your contacts, calling or even texting them. If a loan app on your phone has done this, they are in violation and you should report the app.
You can see Google Play Store’s policy for yourself here, which bans any loan app from accessing your contact or even photos. If you suspect that a loan app has read your phone numbers, do this:
- First, go to support.google.com/ googleplay Android policy violation report
- Enter your name
- Enter the application package name (example com.example.app)
- Under Suspected Policy Violation, select Privacy Violation, Deception or Misrepresentation because this is where Google classifies loan apps
- Under Violation Type, select User Data
- Under Policy Violation Subtype, select Personal and Sensitive User Data
- Under Where did you find the suspected policy violation? select While Using the app.
- Under Is the application still available on Google Play? select Yes or No, as it applies. That’s all.
Before you report this app, make sure it is listed on Play Store. If it isn’t, you only have to report them to the FCCPC. However, if such an app isn’t approved by the FCCPC in the first place or is delisted, you may not receive so much help.
The FCCPC is in support of this move by Google Play. So, safe to say that reporting a violating loan app to the FCCPC for accessing your phone contact can get them delisted and license withdrawn. We made a what-to-do guide about loan shark
If you follow any of the methods here, no loan shark can call or text your contacts as they won’t have their phone numbers. The loan app will only have your number, which you provided while signing up. When it’s due date and you have repaid your debt, grant the permission again and notify the loan app. And MOST importantly, only borrow what you can afford to pay back so you don’t damage your credit history when borrowing from a licensed lender.
Read Also: 7 Days Loan App Harassment in Nigeria [What to Do]